Tools for removing and fitting watch crystals



1 ww-y -d Sept. 11, 1962 TOOLS FOR movmc AND FITTING WATCH CRYSTALS Filed Sept. 21, 1960 J. SHIFFMAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2.

INVENTOR. Jerome Shl'f fman BY zu/ Sept. 11, 1962 J. SHIFFMAN 3,052,906

TOOLS FOR REMOVING AND FITTING WATCH CRYSTALS Filed Sept. 21, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jerome Shiffman United tates 3,052,966 Patented Sept. 11, 1%62 tic 3,052,906 TOGLS FOR REMOVDIG AND FITTING WATCH CRYSTALS Jerome Shiifman, 125 E. 144th St., New York 51, NE. Filed Eept. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 57,521 8 Claims. (Cl. 15-105) This invention relates to tool for removing and fitting watch crystals, and especially crystals of the so-called unbreakable type which are composed of plastic material. The invention has particular reference to a device which will engage a watch crystal while it is in place in the watch rim and remove it therefrom. The device is also adapted to hold a crystal in a manner to enable it to be refitted in place in the watch rim or to he used to fit a new crystal in place in the watch.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this character which can be readily manipulated; which will accurately and firmly engage and hold the crystal; which will greatly facilitate the removal and replacement of crystals, and which will be of sturdy construction.

It is an object of the invention to provide, in a device of this character, crystal-supporting means by which the depth of a crystal can be gauged to enable the gripping engagement of the fingers of the holder to be accurately secured.

It is an object of the invention to provide means in the device by which cleaning of the rim or bezel of the watch, preparatory to the insertion of a new crystal, can be carried out.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a tool for removing and inserting crystals, constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the adjusting head;

FIG. 3 is an edge view of one of the crystal-engaging fingers;

FIG. 4 is a face view of one of the fingers;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the tool;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the tool, with some of the fingers broken ed for clearness in illustration;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the bottom section of the casing of the tool;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the crystal-supporting and depth-gauging disk.

Referring to the drawings, the casing of the tool is composed of two connected sections or halves, the upper section being generally indicated at 1 and the lower section at 2. The upper section includes a frustro-conical head portion 4 from which extends a hexagonally-shaped shank 3, the interior of said shank forming a chamber 6 that is hexagonal in shape. At the top, the shank 3 is provided with an end wall 5 formed with a central aperture through which an adjusting screw 56 is adjustable. Said adjusting screw 50 consists of a threaded shank 7, freely movable through the end wall 5, and a knurled disk 8 constituting a finger-piece by means of which the adjusting screw is rotatably manipulated.

The adjusting head is disclosed at 10 and the same is hexagonal in cross-sectional shape and is thus non-rotatively maintained in the hexagonal chamber 6 while being longitudinally adjustable therein by the rotative movement of the adjusting screw 50. The interior of the adjusting head 10 is screw threaded as shown at 9 for threadable engagement with the threads on the shank 7 of the adjusting screw.

Near its lower or forward end, the adjusting head 10 is formed with a circumferential groove 11 for engagement with rounded end parts 16 on the crystal-engaging fingers. These fingers constitute crystal-gripping jaws, and each finger, shown at 14, is in the form of a flat, tapered metal plate, having an enlarged head at its upper end, the opposite end portions of said head terminating in the rounded extremities 16. One of these rounded extremities on each of the fingers engages with the groove 11 in the adjusting head, while the other rounded extremity on each finger engages a groove 20 provided between the frustro-conical head 4 and the upper surface of the lower section 2 of the casing.

The lower section 2 of the casing is secured to the upper section 1 by means of screws or equivalent fastening elements not shown, but which engage with the holes 36 (FIG. 8) provided in the lower casing section 2, after passing downwardly through the frustro-conical head 4 of the upper casing section. The retention of the head portion 15 of each of the fingers 14 in the grooves 11 and 2G is such as to permit the finger extremities 17 to be moved toward or away from one another by pivotal movement of the fingers when the adjusting head 10 is axially moved by the rotative movement of the adjusting screw 5%). Radial slots 13 provided in the casing section 2, guide the fingers and maintain them in their properly spaced relationship. A spiral spring 23, confined between the heads 15 of all of the fingers 14 and the under side of the frustro-conical head 4 biases the fingers and takes up loo-seness.

Extending axially through the adjusting screw 50 as well as through an axial passage in the adjusting head 10, is a stem which is provided adjacent to its rear end with a threaded portion 27 engaging with threads provided in the adjusting screw, the stem being rotative within the adjusting head 10.

At its lower end, the stem 25 carries a crystal support 21 in the form of a slotted, cupped disk. The disk 21 is non-rotative, the stern being rotative in the central aperture 29 of the disk, which aperture is provided in a hub 26 formed on the disk. The stem is provided with a ball 39 at one end acting to hold the disk against displacement from the end of the stem. The disk 21 is formed with radial slots 22 corresponding in number to the number of fingers 14 employed in the tool, and the fingers extend through these slots which are of a length to permit the required adjusting movements of the fingers.

From the foregoing, the operation of the tool will be apparent. By manual rotative movement of the adjusting screw the fingers 14 can be moved toward or away from one another to the required extent to suitably space their extremities apart to engage the periphery of a watch crystal of the plastic unbreakable type and compress or flex it sufficiently to enable it to be lifted out of the rim or bezel of the watch. It will be noted that each of the fingers 14 has a pointed inner edge 19 on its terminal 17 and the crystal will be engaged between these sharp edges on the fingers and firmly gripped between the fingers. It will also be noted that the finger terminals 17 each has an outer sharp edge 18. This edge 18 can be used for cleaning out the groove in the rim or bezel of a watch preparatory to placing a new crystal therein. This cleaning operation is performed by adjusting the fingers 14 to or from one another to the extent required to cause the edges 18 of the fingers to enter the groove in the rim or bezel and by rotation of the tool, or rotation of the rim or bezel relatively to the tool, the groove will be cleaned.

'In fitting a crystal on a watch rim or bezel, the crystal is placed on the concave surface of the disk 21 while the tool is held with this side of the disk uppermost, and while the crystal is so supported on the disk 21, the disk is raised or lowered as required to bring the periphery of the crystal then supported on the disk in alignment with the edges 19 on the fingers. The fingers are then moved toward one another and they will grip the crystal between them and hold it firmly while compressing it sufiiciently to enable it to be positioned in the rim or bezel of the watch.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a casing in which a plurality of fingers are pivotally mounted, said fingers having ends movable toward or away from one another and adapted to engage a watch crystal between them, an adjusting head axially movable within the casing and engaging the fingers to move the same, an adjusting screw in threadable engagement with the adjusting head to move said adjusting head, a slotted disk constituting a crystal support, the fingers extending through the slots in the disk and having their ends extending below the disk, and a threadably mounted stern threadably coupled to and extending through the adjusting screw and passing through the adjusting head and in engagement with the disk to adjust the same axially of the casing.

2. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a casing, a plurality of pivotal fingers mounted at one end in the casing and adapted to grip a watch crystal between them, a crystal support in the form of a disk located near the free ends of the fingers and having slots through which the fingers project, and a stem threadably coupled to and extending through the casing, the disk being carried at the end of the stem and movable axially of the casing by adjustment of said stem.

3. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a casing in which a plurality of fingers are pivotally mounted, said fingers having extremities extending beyond the casing and adapted to grip a watch crystal between them, spring means biasing said fingers apart, a non-rotative, axially-adjustable adjusting head mounted in the casing, said adjusting head being internally threaded, an adjusting screw extending through one end of the casing and in threadable engagement with the internal threads of the adjusting head to thereby axially adjust the head, a stem threadably coupled to and extending through the adjusting screw and passing through the adjusting head, said stem having an end extending beyond the adjusting head, and a cupped disk mounted on said end of the stem, said disk having radial slots through which the fingers extend and beyond which the ends of the fingers project.

4. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a casing having a slotted section in which a plurality of fingers are mounted for pivotal movement, said fingers having ends movable toward or away from one another and adapted to engage a watch crystal between them, an adjusting head axially movable within the casing and engaging the fingers at one end to cause the same to be moved toward or away from one another, an adjusting screw concentric to and in threadable engagement with the adjusting head to axially move said adjusting head upon threadable movement of the adjusting screw, a slotted disk constituting a crystal support on which a crystal is rested, the fingers extending through the slots in the disk and having ends projecting beyond the disk for engagement with a crystal supported thereon, and a threadably-mounted stem adjustable through the adjusting screw .and passing through the adjusting head and in engagement with the disk to adjust the same axially of the casing to bring said disk towards or away from the projecting ends of the fingers.

5. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a casing, a plurality of pivotal fingers mounted in the casing and spring-biased apart and adapted to grip a watch crystal between them at their ends, means for adjusting the fingers to or from one another, a crystal support in the form of a disk and having a plurality of radial slots through which the fingers project and beyond which the ends of the fingers extend, and a stern mounted axially of the casing for threadable adjustment and extending through the casing, the disk being carried at the end of the stem, the stem being rotative relatively to the disk and causing the disk to be carried by it on its adjustment axially of the casing.

6. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a 'casing in which a plurality of flat fingers are piv-otally mounted, said fingers constituting gripping jaws for a watch crystal and having extremities extending beyond the casing and shaped to grip a watch crystal between them, spring means at the rear of the fingers for biasing said fingers apart, a non-rotative, axially-adjustable adjusting head mounted in the casing, said adjusting head being internally threaded, an adjusting screwextending through one end of the casing and in threadable engagement with the internal threads of the adjusting head for moving said head axially of the casing, said adjusting screw having a head located beyond the casing for manual engagement, a stern threadably coupled to and extending through the adjusting screw and passing through the adjusting head, said stem having an end extending beyond the casing, a cupped disk mounted on said end of the stem, the disk having radial slots through which the fingers extend and beyond which the ends of the fingers project, the stem being rotative relatively to the disk to bring the disk toward or away from the ends of the fingers.

7. 'In a device for removing and fitting watch crystals, a casing containing a plurality of fingers adapted to grip and hold a watch crystal between them, said fingers being adjustably mounted in the casing for movement toward or away from one another, a slotted disk through which the end portions of the fingers project, and means operative axially of the casing for adjustably mounting the disk so that the extent of projection of the ends of the fingers beyond the disk is regulated.

8. A device for removing and fitting watch crystals comprising, a casing having upper and lower sections, the upper section having a shank formed with a central nonround passage, the lower section having a plurality of radial slots, the sections co-operating in the formation of an annular groove between them, an adjusting member of non-round shape axially movable in the central nonround passage of the upper section, said adjusting member being provided with an annular groove near one end, a plurality of fingers, each of the fingers being guidingly received in a respective radial slot, each finger having a head formed with rounded elements entering the respective grooves and permitting the fingers to have pivotal a watch crystal and other parts shaped to form bezel or movement to thereby bring their extremities toward or rim-cleaning elements.

away from one another, spring means biasing the fingers Referemes Citefi in the file of this Patent apart, an adjusting screw carried by the upper section of the casing and threadably engaging the adjusting mem- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS her to move the same axially of the casing, a stem axially 1,459,625 Gulliver June 19, 1923 threadably coupled to and extending through the ad- 1,521,008 Clay Dec. 30, 1924 justing screw and passing through the adjusting member, 1,866,654 Kulp July 12, 1932 and a disk carried at one end of the stem, said disk hav- 2,303,560 Knight Dec. 1, 1942 ing radial slots through which the fingers project, the 10 2,338,343 Maire Jan. 4, 1944 fingers having portions shaped to engage the periphery of 2,994,949 Gerber Aug. 8, 1961 

